archive.org stream downloader

Stream-only items in the archive are available on the website in 60-second segments. This script parses the available metadata to create a single copy for research purposes.

Requirements

Before you run it, open the script and set the DEFAULT_OUTPUT variable to your preferred path. Alternatively, you can provide a destination at the command line.

The script is compatible with items marked Stream Only.

Install the following dependencies:

• ffmpeg
• libssl
• wget
• xidel

Installation

Clone the repo and make the script executable (like chmod +x).

Run the script

To run the script, just pass the fully qualified URL. For example, if you have set a default output destination:

adl https://archive.org/details/KTVU_20111013_050000_Ten_OClock_News

To manually specify the output destination:

adl https://archive.org/details/KTVU_20111013_050000_Ten_OClock_News /OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/

Known issue

Depending on the video codec and the means of playback, the video may show a visual aberration. This might be fixed by adjusting the ffmpeg options, or by encoding the clips before they're combined.